The world dissolved in a snap of silence.
Ren Zu could, without any effort, teleport to any point within the range of his spiritual perception—a range so vast that it easily encompassed the entire Illusory Demon Realm. Even so, that ability had its limits. To cross the boundaries of the continent, he had to rely solely on the [Ancestral Spatial Symbol], tearing through space and hurling himself as far as possible in a single predetermined direction.
Fortunately, he had been careful enough to ask the Golden Crow exactly where she had sensed the presence of the Blazing Chicken—the affectionate (and slightly offensive) nickname she used for the Divine Phoenix. With that information, he at least had a rough bearing toward the Profound Sky Continent, enough to avoid crossing the void completely blind.
After teleporting to the extreme edge of the Illusory Demon Realm, Ren Zu did not waste a single second. He didn't even glance at the dull landscape marking the continent's border. Before the echo of his displacement had faded, he was already gone again, shooting forward in a straight line across the vast expanses of the world.
The space around him shattered like cracked glass: black fissures spread in sinuous veins, twisting around him like starving serpents. One step, and he no longer belonged to the Illusory Demon Realm. Another step, and the very air changed—became heavier, damper, carrying the salty scent of distant seas and the deep aroma of ancient forests.
He had arrived.
The space behind him resealed with a muffled sigh, as though the world itself were trying to erase every trace of his passage. Ren Zu emerged high in the sky—so high that the clouds spread far below his feet, forming a silent white sea stretching to the horizon.
The biting wind struck his face like icy blades. He narrowed his eyes.
"…Did I make it?"
The doubt wasn't born of insecurity, but habit—the kind of caution people like him cultivated until it became instinct.
Ren Zu faintly frowned and expanded his spiritual perception. His consciousness spread in all directions like an invisible web, sweeping over mountains, rivers, forests, trade routes, city walls, and entire metropolises. Nothing escaped his silent, meticulous scrutiny.
For a few moments, he remained perfectly still, contemplating the invisible map forming inside his mind. Then his eyes gleamed—he had detected a city not far away.
Without hesitation, he simply ceased to be there.
During the movement—too fast for any mortal eye to follow—Ren Zu raised his hand to the spatial ring on his finger. A discreet flash glimmered, and an elegant black mask of refined material appeared in his palm. With a natural, almost automatic gesture, he placed it over his face, concealing most of his features.
His flawless appearance drew too much attention, too many questions, too many problems. He had no interest in any of them.
When his feet touched the ground of the city, the mask was already perfectly fitted, hiding the identity he had no intention of revealing anytime soon.
Ren Zu walked through the city unhurriedly beneath the fine drizzle that made the streets quieter than usual. The gentle aura emanating from his body made the surrounding air feel cleaner, lighter, as though the rain itself hesitated to touch him. Passersby glanced at him, unable to understand why, yet instinctively drawn to the unusual figure. Some looked away in embarrassment; others stared too long without realizing they were doing so.
The city was large enough to be bustling, yet small enough that every voice echoed with a certain clarity. Simple buildings, wet wooden rooftops, colorful banners hanging from corner posts… and a faint scent of spices and damp earth mingling with the wind.
A wooden sign hung above the main street.
Gray Clouds City.
He walked for a few minutes along the main road before stopping in front of a simple stall set up beneath a faded blue awning. A thin old man with a sparse white beard and lively eyes was arranging a pile of trinkets: cracked jade talismans, rusted swords, vials of dubious-quality pills, some dried herbs, and a pair of boots that looked like they had survived three wars.
"Good morning, young master…" the old man greeted, his gaze that of someone who had lived on the streets for decades and knew how to recognize wealth and power. Before him stood a man with an immortal bearing and elegantly luxurious dark robes—he stood out as one of the wealthiest. Knowing he could make a quick fortune with courtesy, he continued, "Looking for anything specific, or just browsing?"
Ren Zu tilted his head slightly.
"A bit of both," he replied calmly. "Tell me, old sir… where exactly am I?"
The old man laughed, flashing yellowed teeth.
"Ah, young master, you must be joking with this old man, yes? We're in Gray Clouds City, of course! In Supwake Country, Azure Cloud Continent…"
Ren Zu nodded slowly, his gaze narrowing as he absorbed the information.
He was on the Azure Cloud Continent.
For a moment, his heart wavered—he had missed his target by five million kilometers.
As far as he knew, the Azure Cloud Continent was precisely that distance from both the Profound Sky Continent and the Illusory Demon Realm. Its overall profound cultivation level was slightly lower than the Illusory Demon Realm, though it boasted three dominant powers: the Heavenly Frustration Sect, the Divine Palace of the Seven Stars, and the Ascending Heavenly Sword Sect. The leaders of those three sects had reached the local peak—the ninth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm.
Nothing that could threaten him.
The direction the Golden Crow had given had only been "roughly that way."
And apparently, "roughly" became a dangerously elastic concept when applied to planetary distances.
But the shock lasted only three breaths.
On the fourth, the corner of his mouth lifted into a crooked, sharp… almost predatory smile.
There were plenty of opportunities on this continent; he could take advantage of them instead of heading straight to the Profound Sky Continent as originally planned. Sooner or later, he would return to explore this place anyway…
"Azure Cloud Continent…" he repeated slowly, as if tasting the name on his tongue.
Ren Zu picked up a small jade talisman from the pile of junk, twirling it between his fingers. It was trash. Not a wisp of spiritual energy. But the old man watched him with gleaming, almost pleading eyes.
"How much?" he asked, more out of politeness than interest.
"Three yellow profound coins!" the old man answered far too quickly, like a dog wagging its tail.
Ren Zu smiled behind the mask and returned the talisman to the pile.
Without warning, he withdrew a small leather pouch from his spatial ring. When he opened it, an intense glow—pure purple profound coins—illuminated the old man's face.
The man swallowed hard, his hands trembling just from looking.
"Keep it all…" Ren Zu said, placing five purple profound coins into the old man's palm. The latter nearly cried out. "And answer a few questions…"
The old man almost dropped the coins.
"A–as many questions as you want, young master! You can even ask my age on my wedding night if you like!"
Ren Zu chuckled softly—a low, dangerous sound.
"Nothing that intimate. I just want to know… have you ever heard of the Saint Doctor, Yun Gu? I'd like any useful information about his whereabouts."
The old man opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish out of water, trying to decide whether to answer immediately or first double-check if those purple profound coins were real. His hands shook so badly that three nearly slipped through his gnarled fingers, but he quickly clutched them to his chest, guarding them as if the heavens themselves might try to steal them. He swallowed so loudly that Ren Zu almost heard it.
"T–the Saint Doctor Yun Gu…?" the old man repeated in shock, as though someone had just uttered a forbidden legend. His eyes narrowed slightly—not out of malice, but from the instinct of a man who had spent his whole life sniffing out secrets on the streets. "…That's not a name you hear every day, young master. I know something that might interest you."
Ren Zu tilted his head, his voice low and smooth as dark velvet.
"Go on."
The old man took a deep breath, glanced around as if speaking important information required checking for eavesdroppers, and leaned in until his wrinkled nose nearly touched Ren Zu's chest.
"About… two months ago," he whispered hoarsely, "a group of merchants swore they saw a mysterious healer in Hundred Leaf City. They say he cured an incurable poison just by looking at the patient. He didn't charge a thing. Nothing! Then he simply… vanished."
"And where is Hundred Leaf City?" Ren Zu asked calmly.
The old man nearly tripped over himself bowing, pointing eagerly northeast down the street.
"If you follow the main road out of this city for twenty-four li, young master, you'll reach the Seven Waters Plain! From there, just continue along the caravan route and—"
"No…" Ren Zu gently but firmly interrupted. "I want the fastest route, not the safest."
The old man blinked twice, then smiled nervously.
"The fast route is simple… head straight through those dark hills in the distance. They'll try to stop you from passing, but I doubt they'll succeed. After half an hour over them, you'll be at the border of the next province; from there, Hundred Leaf City is only one mountain away."
Ren Zu gave a short, satisfied nod.
"Perfect."
As he began to turn, the old man stumbled over his own desperation.
"Y–young master! And this… all of this," he raised his trembling hand with the purple profound coins, "is really… for me?"
Ren Zu glanced over his shoulder, an almost imperceptible glint passing through his black eyes. His voice came out low, calm, with that natural charm that made it impossible to contradict him.
"I pay for what I want," he replied simply. "And I wanted quick information."
The old man nearly wept.
Ren Zu added lightly, almost lazily:
"Consider it also a thank-you for not trying to deceive me. That would have been… inconvenient."
The old man's face paled instantly, but his smile remained rock-solid.
"O–of course! This old man would never dare!"
Ren Zu observed the old man for another moment, weighing an entire lifetime in a single glance. Then, as calmly as he breathed, he asked:
"…One last question. Do you know where I can get a more complete map of the continent?"
The old man looked like he might faint—not from the question, but from the fact that he was still useful.
"A m–map? Of course, of course!" He straightened so fast he nearly fell backward. "The Pavilion of a Thousand Branches! It's at the end of the main street, right after the market square. If anywhere in this backwater has a decent map, it's there."
The old man leaned in a little closer, as if afraid he was committing a sin by speaking too loudly.
"But be careful… they like to fleece anyone who looks rich."
Ren Zu smiled behind the mask—a slow, warm smile that carried far too many shadows to be truly friendly.
"Let them try."
The old man swallowed hard.
"And thank you for the information…" Ren Zu finished softly before vanishing.
There was no flash, no sound, no wind. He simply ceased to exist where he had stood. All that remained for the old man was displaced air and the sensation that something far greater than himself had passed by.
Ren Zu reappeared an instant later in front of the Pavilion of a Thousand Branches—a three-story building with curved rooftops and silver lanterns swaying in the drizzle. The wide doors were dark wood, carved with an emblem of intertwined roots. Smaller cities treated such places as "prestigious pavilions"; to him, it looked like a shop that tried too hard to seem important.
He entered without a sound.
The interior smelled of dry parchment, fresh ink, and faint arrogance. Polished jade shelves displayed artifacts, jade scrolls, compasses, divination stones, and maps hung like paintings.
An attendant in pale blue looked up the moment Ren Zu crossed the threshold. Any greeting died in her throat the instant his aura brushed hers—gentle, elegant, yet undeniably overwhelming. She bowed instinctively.
"W–welcome to the Pavilion of a Thousand Branches, esteemed customer. How may I assist you?"
Ren Zu walked silently to the counter.
"I want to buy the most complete map you have of the Azure Cloud Continent…" he said without preamble.
The attendant blinked in surprise but recovered quickly.
"We have three versions, sir: the common map, the reinforced map, and the imperial map." She moistened her lips. "The imperial map was recently updated by the cartographers of the Palace of the Seven Stars. It shows sects, territorial borders, forbidden zones, and city routes. It's the best and most popular among merchants…"
Ren Zu lightly tapped the counter.
"I'll take that one."
The attendant swallowed. The price was exorbitant, but she sensed something in his tone that discouraged any tricks. With careful hands, she withdrew a carved wooden cylinder from a compartment sealed with a formation.
"The imperial map of the Azure Cloud Continent…" she said, offering it with both hands.
Ren Zu didn't ask the price. He simply withdrew a single purple profound coin from his spatial ring and placed it on the counter. The attendant nearly choked—the coin was worth dozens of times the map's cost.
"Keep the change…" he said, taking the cylinder. "Consider it… an incentive for quick service."
The attendant froze, mouth agape.
Ren Zu turned and left the pavilion exactly as he had entered—like a ghost.
He emerged far above the clouds, so high that the world below looked like a gray cotton carpet stretching to the horizon. The cold wind whipped his black robes. He snapped open the wooden cylinder with a dry crack and unrolled the imperial map in midair, letting his profound energy hold it suspended and motionless before him.
The map glowed with soft crimson and golden lines, main routes marked like luminous rivers winding across the continent. It was extraordinarily detailed—far more than any ordinary cultivator should have access to. It traced direct paths, trade routes, secret passages used by veteran caravans, and the wide roads linking cities to capitals.
"For a merchant… this is a treasure…" he murmured, his gaze scanning tiny markings. Small symbols indicated spiritual forests, rest stops, taxation gates, forbidden hunting zones, and even territories where dominant profound beasts prowled. It was complete—absurdly complete.
But it wasn't the safe or profitable locations that caught his attention.
It was a point marked in black ink: the Cloud's End Cliff, located on Divine Rest Mountain. Considered the deadliest place among the Four Mortal Regions of the Azure Cloud Continent, that cliff was also known as the Death God's Cemetery. Across countless eras, the number of people who had fallen into that abyss was simply incalculable…
He knew that down below lay a separate dimension stretching over forty thousand kilometers deep. Anyone who fell from that cliff would be hurled straight into a region saturated with extreme dark energy, but the environment itself wasn't what interested him. What he truly sought was the Netherworld Udumbara Flower—a rare and extremely Yin-evil object.
That flower only bloomed in dark, frigid places and required a full twenty-four years to flower once. After blooming, it withered in just three days, forcing anyone interested to wait another twenty-four years for the next cycle. It was considered the most terrifying flower in existence. Simply approaching it allowed its sinister dark aura to invade the body and corrode the soul. At best, one fell into prolonged coma; at worst, they turned into an undead. And if one's profound strength was too low, death was instantaneous.
He wanted the flower because he had specific plans for it—in fact, he intended to collect every single one in that abyss. Moreover, he planned to bring Ni Jie along, for as the [Heaven-Slaying Demon Emperor Sword] and daughter of the Evil God, she represented one of the greatest opportunities on this continent. And if he obtained all the Netherworld Udumbara Flowers, Scum Che would never be able to revive Jasmine…
Additionally, he also intended to acquire the [Darkness Seed] that existed there. Combined with the [Lightning Seed] he had torn from the Golden Crow, he would have two in hand. Unfortunately, both would be useless to him personally—his plans for them involved nothing more than hindering Scum Che's growth…
Ren Zu stored the map with a flick of his fingers; the wooden cylinder vanished into his spatial ring as if it had never existed. Then, as though the world itself had pulled an invisible trigger, he moved.
A dense black flash—like living ink—erupted around him, and in the next instant, he was gone. The air where he had been warped, creating a silent ripple that expanded in a perfect circle before dissipating like luminous dust.
He tore through the sky so fast that he left behind only a fleeting trail of dark lightning, as though a colossal serpent had lashed across the firmament in a single whip.
He flew swiftly toward his destination!
__________________
(A/N: Did you enjoy the chapter? Then you should know that over on my Patreon you can read up to 20 chapters ahead for just 5USD! And yes—for that price, you also get full access to all of my content. That's right: cheaper than a snack… and with way more drama, action, and guaranteed emotional damage.
The link is right below. See you there!
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)